Chapter 105 Part 2 (IF) 一 Quarrel and Reconciliation.
One week later, on Saturday.
The Jiang family hosted a banquet.
Ruan Liuyu, accompanied by Yōuyōu and Gu Fuchen, attended the banquet.
As usual, the adults chatted, while the children gathered in a corner of the hotel banquet hall, enjoying cake and drinks, occasionally playing hide and seek.
Fu Jiazhan and Gu Fuchen stayed with Yōuyōu, accompanying her while she ate cake.
With two big protectors on each side, observers felt reassured.
At nine o’clock, apart from the members of the Gu, Lu, Qi, Wen, and Fu families, the rest of the guests dispersed.
After enjoying the meal, Yōuyōu’s belly was full. She sat there playing with the beautiful little crown her mother had prepared for her, finding a mirror and tilting her head while looking at herself.
Mother Fu pointed in her direction, saying, “Your daughter is still very young, but she already cares about her appearance. Has she inherited that from you?”
Ruan Liuyu, from a distance, glimpsed the scene and chuckled.
Ten minutes later, an uninvited guest arrived at the banquet hall.
When little Jiang Wei and his mother appeared in the banquet hall, Mrs. Jiang’s smile froze slightly.
Mr. Jiang hurried forward, pulling Jiang Wei’s mother towards the exit.
Old Mr. Jiang pretended not to see it. The others started chatting about other things. When they were leaving, Ruan Liuyu stood next to Mrs. Jiang and said in a deep voice, “I shouldn’t say this, but after all, an illegitimate child is an illegitimate child. The marriage between the Qiao family and the Jiang family is a two-way cooperation. How come you’re the one who’s starting to give in? If you don’t think about yourself, you should at least think about Jiang Huai.”
Mother Lu frowned, “If she dares to bring her child to the banquet hall today, who knows what she might do tomorrow. In my opinion, assets are the most crucial. For Jiang Huai, you need to plan ahead for these matters.”
“Children may seem like they don’t understand anything, but their hearts are clear. When Jiang Huai sees his father dragging a woman and another child away today, what do you think he will think?”
. . . . .
Ruan Liuyu and others whispered persuasions, Yōuyōu and Gu Fuchen were led outside by their aunt to wait for the driver to arrive.
Yōuyōu was eating the rainbow lollipop that Old Mr. Jiang had given her. After Jiang Wei and his mother finished chatting with Mr. Jiang, they also came over to wait for the car.
Jiang Wei glanced at Ruan Yōu and pointed to the candy in her hand, saying, “Mom, I want one too.”
Gu Fuchen instinctively raised his head and stood in front of his sister.
“Buy it on the way back,” Jiang Wei’s mother, who had not gained any benefits here, spoke with a very unpleasant tone. “Don’t ask for everything.”
Jiang Huai vaguely felt the complex relationship between Jiang Wei and his father. They were very close, but he didn’t understand why.
He had no favorable impression of Jiang Wei and that woman.
They all thought they wouldn’t see Jiang Wei and his mother again, but unexpectedly, five days later in the afternoon, in the courtyard of the Gu family, Jiang Wei’s mother took the initiative to find Mrs. Jiang, who was learning to make almond tofu here.
Little Jiang Wei naturally followed along.
He recognized Yōuyōu.
She was the chubby kid who had big candies that day.
Yōuyōu vaguely remembered him but didn’t know where she had seen him. Sitting on a small stool, she held her cheeks, motionless, staring at him with apricot eyes, looking confused, as if doing facial recognition.
Jiang Wei said, “What are you looking at? You can’t speak, you fool.”
One sentence angered everyone present.
Gu Fuchen was so angry that his cheeks turned red.
He was most angered by someone calling his sister a fool.
“My sister is not a fool. She’s still young, and she will speak in the future.”
Jiang Huai said, “My sister is definitely smarter than you.”
Lu Jin turned around, “Auntie, someone insulted Yōuyōu.”
Fu Jiazhan blocked his line of sight to Ruan Yōu, “You’re the fool one.”
When Ruan Liuyu came over, Gu Fuchen and Jiang Huai had already fought with Jiang Wei. The two youngest kids, Yōuyōu and Lu Xuan, were scared and crying loudly. Fu Jiazhan comforted them on the side.
The aunts tried to break up the fight, but the scene was very chaotic.
Ruan Liuyu learned about the situation from the aunt and, upon hearing the word “fool,” furrowed her brows slightly.
As an adult, she could not possibly be angry with a child.
What could little Jiang Wei understand? Many of the things he said were probably learned from adults.
Throughout the year, Ruan Liuyu and Gu Youqian paid a lot of attention to Yōuyōu’s speech issue. Her speaking ability was delayed by more than half a year compared to children of the same age. After confirming there were no issues through hospital checks, they brought her back home. They could only guide her occasionally, checking her condition from time to time until she reached the age of three.
Now, their well-behaved daughter was being talked about behind her back. Jiang Wei had only learned one word so far: ‘fool.’ What else might he not understand or learn in the future?
Ruan Liuyu’s face darkened a few degrees. After comforting Ruan Yōu and Lu Xuan, she had the aunt take them to the room to watch TV, then took Jiang Wei out to find his mother.
Upon leaving, they encountered Mr. Jiang who had rushed over upon hearing the news.
Jiang Wei’s father.
After Jiang Wei was taken away by Mr. Jiang’s assistant, Ruan Liuyu spoke expressionlessly, “Mr. Jiang, your private life is none of my concern. However, the woman you keep outside, does she have the right to gossip about my daughter?”
With a disdainful look, she walked away to find her friend Qiao Wen.
She had thought she would see the woman kept by Mr. Jiang outside and question her, but at the corner of the alley, only Qiao Wen remained.
“Your husband was here just now.”
Qiao Wen touched the wedding ring on her ring finger. “I know.”
“Oh?”
“She told me.”
Qiao Wen pointed across the street to an empty corner.
Ruan Liuyu was infuriated, causing a headache.
Qiao Wen, the daughter of the Qiao family, was gentle and non-competitive.
Falling in love with Mr. Jiang when she was young was her lifelong nightmare.
The love stories written in ancient books are deeply romantic and unwavering until death, but they are all deceiving and specifically target people like Qiao Wen.
“I’m going to say something unpleasant. Continuing to like a scum and harming yourself, you are willing to pay for it, and no one can stop you. But what about Jiang Huai?”
Ruan Liuyu supported her forehead: “He’s braver than you, and he even knows how to throw a punch because of a word from Jiang Wei.”
“Jiang Huai’s father doesn’t spoil him, and you’re the only one around him.” Ruan Liuyu said with a faint tone, “By allowing the existence of Jiang Wei and his mother now, you’re making enemies for Jiang Huai.
In the future, the Jiang family will completely swallow the Qiao family, and all the decision-making power will be in Mr. Jiang’s hands. He can do whatever he wants to you or Jiang Huai.”
It’s said that it’s difficult to wake up a person pretending to be asleep. Ruan Liuyu said a few more words, unwilling to say more, and went home to take care of Yōuyōu.
At night, when Qiao Wen and Jiang Huai left the Gu family together, Jiang Huai clenched his fist and shook it at Yōuyōu: “Yōuyōu, next time that ugly guy comes over, I’ll beat him up for you!”
Qiao Wen was slightly stunned.
Jiang Huai, Gu Fuchen, Lu Jin, Fu Jiazhan, and Lu Xuan, they all became enemies with Jiang Wei.
A month later, on the day the summer vacation arrived, Ruan Liuyu received good news.
Qiao Wen and Mr. Jiang were in the process of negotiating a divorce.
Ruan Liuyu had already discussed with Gu Youqian in advance. They wouldn’t have anything to do with the Jiang family until they apologized for saying Yōuyōu was a fool.
Gu Youqian nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, our Yōuyōu is smart.”
One day, during a gathering of several major families, Qiao Wen brought Jiang Huai, now renamed Qiao Zhun, over. The children happily sat together to play.
Granpa Qi invited Qi Nuo and Qi Zhiyan to join in the fun in the inflatable castle.
Gu Fuchen had always remembered Jiang Wei’s words. He shook off the others, held his sister’s hand, and came in front of the adults, saying seriously, “My sister is not a fool!”
Mother Fu smiled, “No one said Yōuyōu is a fool; Yōuyōu is the smartest.”
Gu Fuchen raised his nose, his voice childish, “You’re all fooling me.”
He understood the term ‘fooling.’
Every time the aunt and Mom mentioned that there were rice cakes in the room and tried to persuade my sister to go in and take a nap, it was called ‘fooling.’
Grandpa Qi laughed, “You still know about fooling?”
Gu Fuchen snorted and displayed a smile that said “one part indifferent, two parts arrogant, and seven parts proud.”
“My sister is really smart!”
As he spoke, he turned around and asked, “Yōuyōu, brother is asking you, who is Ruan Yōu.”
Yōuyōu patted her little belly.
“Who is little sister?”
Yōuyōu obediently patted her belly again.
“Then who is Yōuyōu?”
Yōuyōu patted her belly.
“Who is little treasure?”
Yōuyōu continued patting her belly, indicating that it was her.
The term “little treasure” was used in comparison to Gu Fuchen’s “big treasure,” and family members rarely called her that.
Gu Fuchen turned around, looking proud, “My sister knows everything!”
For the first time, Grandpa Qi found it amusing and asked with a smile, “Then who is stinky treasure?”
Yōuyōu raised her small hand, about to pat, and her clear, lively almond eyes rolled around. She pointed at Gu Fuchen, and her sweet, childlike voice said, “Dada~”
Gu Fuchen: ?
Everyone present burst into laughter.
Ruan Liuyu hugged Ruan Yōu in her arms, pinched her little nose, and said, “Know that you’re not stinky treasure?”
Yōuyōu shook her head, “bù qiū bù qiū~”
Grandpa Qi praised: “Chenchen did well, and your sister was very smart.”
Gu Youqian agreed: “Yōuyōu is just steady and doesn’t like to talk.”
People who handle big things are like this.
The intelligence of the younger sister was recognized by everyone present, and Gu Fuchen was very satisfied.
As they left, Grandpa Qi smiled and gave them a few pieces of candy.
Gu Fuchen subconsciously looked at his mother.
Candy can ruin teeth, and their mother doesn’t allow them to eat too much.
“One piece for each person.”
Gu Fuchen smiled and was about to take it when the chubby Yōuyōu had already snatched the candy snack box from Grandpa Qi’s hand.
Ruan Liuyu hurriedly picked her up, attempting to take back the candy box from her little chubby hands.
“No, Yōuyōu, it will ruin your teeth.”
In front of candies, two-and-a-half-year-old Yōuyōu is completely unreasonable.
With something delicious in her hand, how could she let it go?
When Mom tried to snatch the candy, the little one fell into her mother’s arms, crying pitifully.
“Wuwuwu, bā bā wuwuwu don’t want, don’t want.”
Gu Youqian picked up her candy box, quickly poured out most of the candies inside, leaving only five for her. “Yōuyōu, Mom and Dad won’t snatch yours. Your bā bā is here.”
In the comforting call, Yōuyōu heard her dad’s words, sobbing with her shoulders shaking, she took back the candy box from her dad’s hand, shook it, and there was a sound.
The crying stopped instantly, and deep within the box, her small hand reached in and took out a candy. Tears were still swirling in her eyes, but her head was happily swaying.
Completely unaware that the quantity inside had been reduced by more than half.
As long as the box was still there, it proved that Mom and Dad didn’t take her candy!
Gu Fuchen: “Yōuyōu, there’s still your brother.”
Yōuyōu remembered, and extended her little hand to give her brother two candies.
“Come on, let’s go out and play.” Gu Fuchen took her hand and led Yōuyōu, who only had two candies, out of the house.
Mrs. Fu looked at the backs of the two, one big and one small, lightly smiled and shook her head.
“If Yōuyōu had gone to kindergarten, you two wouldn’t be able to deceive her so easily.”